Two Identities?

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

(2 Corinthians 5: 17, NASB)

 

Often Christians do not understand what it means to be their natural God-given selves, because they need to be able to correctly distinguish what it means to be like Christ verses what it means to be themselves. Unfortunately, the Church has contributed much to causing the confusion about our identity. Is it to be solely in Christ or in ourselves as followers of our precious Lord?  

I believe it is to be in both. However, we first need to be able to distinguish between our identity in Christ as opposed to our own self identity. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the term "identity" is defined: "individuality; the fact of being the same person or thing claimed." Essentially it means what distinguishes you as a person apart from others. That's our natural identity. Now what distinguishes you as a Christian separate from others is your spiritual identity you have in Christ.  

So when it comes to a believer's identity, two things can be seen here: (1.) A believer's spiritual identity in Christ; (2.) and a believer's natural identity in himself. Often, the teaching in today's Church get it wrong when they say a saint's identity needs to be completely in Christ alone. Such Christians will argue that it is wrong to have your own identity separate from your identity in Christ. They believe it is a form of worldliness, carnality, and of the flesh. Since man possesses a fallen nature, he forfeits his right to have his own identity that is pleasing to God. The question is, How can we be ourselves, if we deny our natural identity, by replacing it with our identity in Christ? 

The good news is we can be ourselves, while at the same time be like Christ in our behaviour. We don't need to lose our natural identity, when we identify ourselves with Christ. For example, each individual person carries their own unique traits that sets them apart from others. Take for example, idiosyncrasies that sets believers apart from one another. The word idiosyncrasy is defined: "a personal peculiarity." It's almost like having your own personal signature on the document of your natural identity that uniquely sets you apart from fellow saints and non-believers. For example, there may be a particular phrase that only you use over and over again among your friends. Your friends may recognize this as your own unique idiosyncrasy that identifies you apart from them. A person's hand writing can also be a unique feature that distinguishes him or her from their friends and family. Sometimes a person's idiosyncrasy can be a bit strange or weird.